Adelaide

Australia

UNESCO City of Music

since 2015

Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, has a history of cultural vision and social reform and is known internationally for its thriving arts festivals. It has a proud musical heritage, being the first Australian city to establish a tertiary music institution in 1883, and is home to the nation’s first major arts centre complex, Adelaide Festival Centre, opened in 1973.

The city centre is bordered by expansive Park Lands which host numerous cultural events such as Australia’s favourite outdoor music festival WOMADelaide. The metropolitan area extends to famous food and wine regions, whose produce infuses the city’s diverse music culture throughout the year, and its suburbs have given rise to some of Australia’s greatest rock bands and pop artists.

Festivals are key economic contributors and drivers for tourism in Adelaide, and the city also produces outstanding orchestral, chamber, choral and youth music events year-round.

Adelaide’s leadership holds creativity at the heart of its cultural policies, highlighting the role of live music in a vibrant, liveable city, and its contribution to economic development. In 2014, a pioneering Music Development Office was established, envisioning a whole music ecology for the city and placing music as central to the city’s identity and development.

The Mission of Adelaide UNESCO City of Music is:

To enhance and promote collaboration, excellence, diversity and sustainability in all aspects of music making in throughout the City of Music, including urban and regional South Australia.

To build international pathways for the City of Music throughout the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and beyond

To advocate locally and nationally on behalf of the City of Music and the entire Music sector to fully integrate culture and creativity into policy and sustainable development plans

To develop and facilitate connection and collaboration for Music with Industry and all other creative sectors

To foster life-long love for and engagement with Music within our entire community through education and participation

Facts and Figures

Adelaide is the capital city of the state of South Australia, and the fifth-most populous city of Australia.

AreaThe demonym “Adelaidean” is used in reference to the city and its residents. Adelaide is north of the Fleurieu Peninsula, on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges which surround the city. Adelaide stretches 20 km (12 mi) from the coast to the foothills, and 94 to 104 km (58 to 65 mi) from Gawler at its northern extent to Sellicks Beach in the south.

Population (City)Adelaide had an estimated resident population of 1.31 million.

Latest Music Projects

Released by Adelaide UNESCO City of Music Office in early 2019, the Activity Report 17/18 includes specific highlights and selected activities of Adelaide as a City of Music, new initiatives and up coming projects.

Registration for the Asia-Pacific Creative Cities Conference, (October 23-26, 2019) held in Adelaide, Australia is now open! The event will take place in parallel to the world-class OzAsia Festival and will be the first-ever meeting of UNESCO Creative Cities of the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific Creative Cities Conference will aim to strengthen the exchange of […]

The Adelaide Guitar Festival, led by Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan, is the most significant festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The Adelaide Guitar Festival has a Special Edition in 2019 from 15 – 19 July 2019 where Slava Grigoryan curates a sampler of the Adelaide Guitar Festival experience with a series of intimate […]